Today on @NewAbnormalPod Molly tells @TheRickWilson about the Twitter fight she had with Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene, an avowed QAnon supporter over government interference in a woman’s health trib.al/5lavVF2
After Greene tweeted “My body, my choice,” in reference to mask-wearing, Molly “suggested that she might also be pro-choice, which got her just enraged because while she won’t wear a mask, she does not want anyone to have control over their own uterus” trib.al/5lavVF2
That wasn’t the only Twitterstorm. Rick’s been following the friendship between Tiffany Trump and Rep. Matt Gaetz. “It's someday going to grace, the pages of TMZ, and perhaps even be the subject of a Netflix show called ‘The Orange Crown.’” trib.al/5lavVF2
The pair also chat with Neera Tanden, who worked on the 2008 Obama transition. Tanden tells them Trump’s “temper tantrum” would have real term consequences.
“You may face unnecessary deaths because of their slow walking transition,” she said. trib.al/5lavVF2
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EXCLUSIVE: Right before chairing the Subcommittee on SeaPower, Sen. David Perdue bought stock in BWX Technologies. After working on a bill that ultimately directed more Navy dollars to BWX, Perdue sold off the stock, earning tens of thousands in profits. trib.al/XkLTzUS
Perdue acquired up to $190,000 in BWX Technologies stock. The firm had lucrative contracts with the Navy to develop high-tech components for its nuclear submarine fleet—and they were looking to expand with the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. trib.al/XkLTzUS
Perdue had a key role in shaping the final version of the NDAA, including securing a hefty $4.7 billion for Virginia-class submarines.
Now guess which firm was awarded contracts to design and make key parts for Virginia-class submarines? BWX. trib.al/XkLTzUS
“I’m going to reserve it for when it’s actually good again.” trib.al/xftIewp
The pandemic isn’t exactly helping either.
“I tried two outdoor COVID-friendly shows and it just didn’t work,” Cross says. “I just have to wait to get back into those sweaty, basement, we’re-all-crammed-together Brooklyn bars to get the work done.” trib.al/xftIewp
NEW: Members of the Kappa Delta sorority at the University of Alabama are getting ready for a massive party that, in any other year, would be a routine event. But amid a deadly pandemic, residents are asking: Why are the school and city endorsing this? trib.al/ZbytpCR
“It’s appalling and dangerous,” 61-year-old radiation therapist Louise Manos told The Daily Beast, arguing that “the four members of the city council who voted in favor of this are sanctioning a superspreader event.” trib.al/ZbytpCR
Party organizers promised to put in safety measures at the outdoor event besides wearing masks, such as taking body temperatures and transporting attendees via chartered bus in three “shifts” or groups of 200 revelers at a time trib.al/ZbytpCR
EXCLUSIVE: Top Dems on the Senate intelligence and armed services committees are trying to stop one of President Trump’s White House attorneys, Michael Ellis, from taking over as the senior lawyer for the NSA, the Daily Beast has learned trib.al/d5tfolZ
Not only was Ellis supposedly one of the aides who helped Rep. Nunes manufacture a surveillance “unmasking” scandal, he was implicated in moving to a classified server the record of Trump’s phone call with Zelensky—the one that helped get Trump impeached trib.al/d5tfolZ
Maneuvering is underway to block Ellis’ appointment. Sens. Mark Warner and Jack Reed have written to the inspector general of the Defense Department, of which NSA is a component, demanding an investigation into Ellis’ installation. trib.al/d5tfolZ
Trump may be following Vladimir Putin’s autocratic playbook closer than we all realize—and the Russian interference was just the tip of the iceberg thedailybeast.com/masha-gessen-t…
“We've been very stupid to focus on it as much as we have,” Gessen explains. “The problem is not Russian interference, the problem is we sank so low to where Russian interference sank in.” thedailybeast.com/masha-gessen-t…
NEW: On Friday, the remnants of Trump’s failed re-election campaign informed staff that they were putting an end to “voter fraud” hotline duty. It meant the death of a workspace that one senior campaign official described simply as “the room from hell.” trib.al/zL129Pq
According to three sources, the hotline was inundated by crank callers impersonating public figures, anti-Trump callers launching into vulgarity-laden tirades, pranksters making sounds of flatulence, and others issuing threats at Trump 2020 staffers trib.al/zL129Pq
For every three or four hours of threats and pranking endured, staff estimated that they’d get roughly one caller with an earnest, maybe-promising tip. Staff would often leave looking visibly upset, worn out, and feeling undervalued. trib.al/zL129Pq